Elder Shepherd

Who is watching over your life?

It's a question worth pondering in our age of constant connectivity. We have GPS systems that track our movements, smartwatches that monitor our heart rates and detect when we've fallen, phones that remember our last known location even when the battery dies. Technology has become a kind of modern-day shepherd, always watching, always ready to alert emergency services if something goes wrong.

But this technological surveillance, helpful as it may be, points us toward a deeper need—our need for a true shepherd. Not an algorithm or a satellite system, but someone who knows us intimately, leads us wisely, protects us fiercely, and nourishes us spiritually.

The Shepherd Who Knows His Sheep

Psalm 23 begins with one of the most personal declarations in all of Scripture: "The Lord is MY shepherd." Not a shepherd. Not someone else's shepherd. Mine.

This psalm, written by King David—himself an earthly king who recognized the true King above him—paints a picture of intimate relationship. The shepherd doesn't just know about the sheep; he knows them personally. The psalm is bookended by this relational intimacy: "The Lord is my shepherd" at the beginning, and "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" at the end.

That word "mercy" is the Hebrew word hesed—God's faithful, committed, covenant love. This is family love. The kind of love that pursues, that doesn't give up, that follows the wandering sheep even when they stray.

In the New Testament, we see this principle lived out in the early church. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: "We cared for you because we loved you so much. We were delighted to share with you not only the gospel, but our lives as well." Leadership in God's kingdom is never distant or detached. It's intimate, personal, and deeply relational.

When James instructs believers to "call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil" in times of sickness, he's describing a relationship where people know who to call in their moment of greatest need. That kind of connection doesn't happen by accident. It requires shepherds who invest in knowing their sheep.

Leading from the Front

There's a fascinating story about tourists in Israel who learned an important lesson about shepherds. Their tour guide explained that shepherds always lead from the front, with the sheep following behind. Never from behind. Always leading by example.

Later, the tourists spotted another flock with someone walking behind the sheep, driving them forward. They thought they'd caught their guide in an error. But when the guide investigated, he returned with a relieved expression: "That wasn't a shepherd. That was a butcher."

The difference is profound. Shepherds lead. Butchers drive.

Psalm 23 describes this leading: "He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." The shepherd doesn't demand or push. He guides toward good places—green pastures, still waters, paths of righteousness.

In 1 Peter 5, we find instructions for church leaders: "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be... not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock."

Being examples. Not telling people to do what you're unwilling to do yourself. Not demanding standards you don't meet. Leading by going first.

Interestingly, the qualifications for church leadership found in 1 Timothy 3 focus almost entirely on character rather than competency. Yes, the ability to teach is mentioned—once. But the rest? Faithfulness, self-control, gentleness, good reputation, managing one's own household well. These are matters of character, not skill.

God looks for leaders with godly character who can lead by example, not just by instruction.

Protection in the Valley

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Sheep face dangers on every side. Predators see them as easy prey—dinner with feet, as someone once described them. But sheep are also dangerous to themselves. There's a documented case of over 1,200 sheep following one another off a cliff, one after another, because that's what sheep do. They follow, even to their own destruction.

We are like sheep in this way. There's an enemy who wants to kill, steal, and destroy our lives. And within each of us is a sinful heart that, even though redeemed, still tempts us toward destruction. We walk off cliffs more often than we'd like to admit.

The shepherd carries two tools: a rod and a staff. The rod is a short club for beating off predators. The staff is the longer, curved stick we picture when we think of shepherds—used to guide wandering sheep back to safety or to pull them out of ditches they've fallen into.

Both are described as a comfort. It's comforting to know someone is fighting our enemies. It's comforting to know someone will reach out and pull us back when we wander.

The prophet Isaiah captured our condition perfectly: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way." We are prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love. We need protection—from external threats and from ourselves.

Feeding at the Shepherd's Table

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

The shepherd's job includes feeding the sheep. This isn't just physical nourishment, but spiritual food—the Word of God proclaimed, the sacraments administered, the gospel preached.

The image of anointing with oil represents the partnership between God's Word and God's Spirit. The Word isn't effective without the Spirit working in hearts. The Spirit doesn't work apart from the Word. Together, they provide the nourishment God's people need.

Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." The voice of the shepherd—the Word of God—is how sheep are fed and kept safe.

The Good Shepherd Who Laid Down His Life

There's a popular quote often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." The sentiment is noble—we should practice what we preach. Our lives should reflect our beliefs.

But if Christianity is reduced to following good examples—whether of church leaders or even of Jesus himself as merely a moral teacher—we've missed the heart of the gospel.

Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep."

The good shepherd doesn't just lead by example. He lays down his life. Jesus became the Lamb of God who took the sins of all the sheep upon his shoulders. He was led like a sheep to slaughter, undergoing the wrath of God that we deserve so that we could be set free.

We don't simply need an example to follow. We need a Savior who died in our place. We need someone who doesn't just show us how to get back on our sheep legs when we stumble, but who carries us when we can't walk at all.

This is the beauty of the gospel. We rest not in our ability to follow the shepherd's example, but in the shepherd's finished work on the cross. We are complete in him. We never have to pick ourselves up by our own bootstraps. The good shepherd has already done everything necessary for our salvation.

And from that place of rest and security, empowered by his grace, we can joyfully follow where he leads—knowing that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives, and that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The question remains: Who is watching over your life? The answer, for those who trust in Christ, is clear. The good shepherd is watching. He knows you. He leads you. He protects you. He feeds you. And he has laid down his life for you.